Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[RoseMarie1]

Fruit flys are invading! I have lids on everything. How are they getting in?

Is it okay? They dont bother me.

I saw something the other day on the internet about a bowl of something that sat on the counter and they were attracted to it and would go in and drawn or something.

 

[Beekissed]

oh I get stuff for .25 or .50 all the time. I hardly ever buy NEW clothes. I like the broken in kind.

and I never shop for clothes just when I come across something I like, I get it... in my thrift store shopping. WOW great bargain on those shoes!!!!

Yeah everyone wants us to be IN STYLE, well I am....MY style!

hee hee I'm not OF this world anyway so I don't have to fit IN it.
I don't know how people handle all that pressure to be IN style and trying to STAY fitting IN all the time. That'd drive me nutz.

That's so funny!!! Me too!! I've never been in style in my whole life and I found it matters little in the long and short of things. Not my Home, not my country, not caring about what I look like here to be accepted.

Fruit flys are invading! I have lids on everything. How are they getting in?

Is it okay? They dont bother me.

It's okay..it's just the season and this too shall pass. Meanwhile, they are depositing some added protein in the mix if they lay eggs. YUM. Folks are out there trying to grow maggots for their chickens and we don't even have to try!

I don't keep a lid completely closed on mine and I'm just starting to see a few in the bucket and I'm hoping they lay eggs but who could tell with what I'm feeding?

 

[RoseMarie1]

That's so funny!!! Me too!! I've never been in style in my whole life and I found it matters little in the long and short of things. Not my Home, not my country, not caring about what I look like here to be accepted.

It's okay..it's just the season and this too shall pass. Meanwhile, they are depositing some added protein in the mix if they lay eggs. YUM. Folks are out there trying to grow maggots for their chickens and we don't even have to try!

I don't keep a lid completely closed on mine and I'm just starting to see a few in the bucket and I'm hoping they lay eggs but who could tell with what I'm feeding?

Wont matter at all in the long run.

.

 

[Mommabear5]

I just fed my girls their first bowl of FF and they looooved it! I wish there was an easier way to do it than to just scoop it into a bowl every day.

 

[Peneliva]

That's so funny!!! Me too!!  I've never been in style in my whole life and I found it matters little in the long and short of things.  Not my Home, not my country, not caring about what I look like here to be accepted. 

It's okay..it's just the season and this too shall pass.  Meanwhile, they are depositing some added protein in the mix if they lay eggs.  YUM.  Folks are out there trying to grow maggots for their chickens and we don't even have to try!    I don't keep a lid completely closed on mine and I'm just starting to see a few in the bucket and I'm hoping they lay eggs but who could tell with what I'm feeding? 

lol I have little white wormy things too 8 guess its fruit fly babies.

 

[Beekissed]

I just fed my girls their first bowl of FF and they looooved it! I wish there was an easier way to do it than to just scoop it into a bowl every day.

You can build a trough feeder and just fill it enough for a couple of days if you'd like.

 

[7acres]

My family are always suggesting that I buy more clothes and claim mine are just "rags".

The ol' Bat shops exclusively at Good Will and whenever I see her in a different cute outfit, I'll say, "That looks Good Willish! New?". And she will proudly proclaim she got if for a few bucks on "tag day"! She got a pair of tennies the other day that look like they'd never been worn, paid $2.50 for them...they are a brand that usually costs $300. Some kind of special orthopedic type shoe.... We LOVE a bargain!

So, Bee if one were using the one bucket, then it would be better to have 2 buckets going at the same time and feed one out and refill and go to the second one to get greater advantage of the fermentation?

I knew a fellow that died very wealthy. One day he was riding the tractor in the field with a penny loafer and a cowboy boot on. A fellow asked him if he hurt a foot. He said no he wore out one of each type and didn't see any sense in throwing two good shoes away. I hope no one will be offended by my making a reference to the Bible. Those who have read Ecclesiastes will understand what I mean when I say I read it at 20, but did not understand it until I was 60. I probably am a slower learner than most of you. Bee, I think you understand it.

 

[armorfirelady]

It's the best investment I ever made. I can move it easily to mow and move them around the yard. And I have no fears of 4 legged predators getting to them. Heck there were chicken bones in the run from wings I gave the hens and they were still there this morning. The coyote and coons didn't get to them

I'd really like to get some until I get my permanent fencing up. Still, like you said, it would be good to move around. I for sure have places around the yard that need the bugs taken care of. And I would loved to have gift wrapped those two stray dogs in it that paid me a visit the other day. (Oh that is so violent! LOL) Which brand fence do you have?

I got mine from premier fencing, I got the green colored electric netting with the double posts. Love it! Keeps my dogs, the neighbors dogs, coyote & coons out. Easy to move even tho I tend to get it tangled lol. I mow the lawn where I a, going to put it super short and get a few weeks out of it before I need to mow again. Today I was lazy so I just weed whacked where the netting was going. Next year I plan on running it on solar power

You guys make me think I am doing something wrong with my ff!!  I have 7 hens and 7 12 wk old chicks.  I am down to a heaping spoonful in the morning.  Maybe 1/2 of that is eaten.  In the evening what is left over looks dry, so I add a bit more.  They NEVER eat it all.  I have even put the dry pellets next to it to see which they prefer.  They just pick at it.  I do free-range from 7 AM till dusk.  Is that normal?  I have never had them chase me down or run up to me when I am feeding them that stuff.  Now if I have scratch or apple cores, then they come running.

Lisa

Mine get a spoonful or two in the morning and the same at night but most days its just one spoonful if there are leftovers in there. I feed 8 hens who forage in their electric netting area

 

[RoseMarie1]

I just fed my girls their first bowl of FF and they looooved it! I wish there was an easier way to do it than to just scoop it into a bowl every day.

Am glad they enjoyed it.

 

[RoseMarie1]

It is probably still fermenting but doesn't go much further than a certain point as you are continually adding fresh feed, so you are cycling out the feed faster than it can ferment deeper, most likely. Some do that to keep the smell down because the deeper it ferments the deeper and stronger the smell. It doesn't hurt anything and it's still fermented, most likely...just creates more work for you is all.

I generally add a bucket of feed and almost a bucket of water, feed it the next day (24 hrs). But, I continue to feed out of that amount all week, so by the end of the week I'm feeding some mighty fermented feed. Then I fill it all back up and do it all over again. So the first day is lightly fermented, the next more so, and so on.

Everyone does it a little differently and it's all good as long as you've reached fermentation before you feed it, otherwise you are just feeding soaked grains that may or may not have the proteins/sugars converted to provide greater absorption of nutrients.

Bee lets say someone makes enough food to last say 2-3 weeks, how often would they need to add fresh food to it to keep it doing ok and it not go bad from not having fresh food added to it? Or would it just be better to do a weeks worth and feed out of that.
Also you said you do a weeks worth so you don't add any fresh food at all to yours for a whole week? How much food do you have left over when you add fresh food to it? Do you allow it to get really low before adding more to it?
Just had another question asked....just how long does it take to get the good ferment going where it has the good vitamins and stuff in it? Isn't it like 3-4 days?
Ok got another one for you. Do you have any idea on an estimation of how much daily for each bird?